Anuradha Sridharan

கண்கள் சொருகி பார்வை விலகி சென்றேன் கனவுலகத்திற்கு திரும்ப மனமில்லாமல் விடுதலை வேண்டும் கண் கருவளையத்திலிருந்து வேக ஒட்டத்திலிருந்து கால சக்கரத்தின் சுழல்களிலிருந்து நிற்க வேண்டும் ஒவ்வொரு நிமிடத்தை ரசிக்க கால் தடத்தை பதிக்க இசை வெள்ளத்தில் மிதக்க நடை போட வேண்டும் தென்றலின் திசை நோக்கி இயற்கையின் அழகை நாடி சிறு ஓடையின் தெளிவைத்தேடி காற்றில் பறக்க சிறகு தேவையா? கடலில் கலக்க கால்கள் தேவையா? அளவில்லை உளறல்களுக்கு எல்லையில்லை கனவுகளுக்கு A rough translation in English In a state of trance with my vision blurring I stepped into my dream world with no desire to return wishing for freedom from dark circles around my eyes speed of the race rotation of the life wheel wishing to stop for relishing every minute leaving a footprint floating in music wishing to walk towards the direction of the breeze the beauty of nature the stillness of the stream To fly in air Do I need wings? To walk in ocean Do I need legs? No limits to ramble No boundaries to dream PS: Inspiration can come at any time, any pl...

In the 20 odd years that I remember, Diwali is one exciting festival that I look forward to every year. I could think of so many memorable experiences that this day has offered me. The most distant memory I could recollect is waking up to the music of Nadaswaram at 3.30 AM on the morning of Diwali. The musicians used to visit every house, played Nadaswaram and Mirudangam for a few minutes and collected some money. The specific rituals would be in the order of taking oil bath before sunrise, wearing new sets of dresses, eating a delicious breakfast with a lot of sweets, firing crackers and visiting relatives' houses. There used to be times when I was so scared of crackers that I would hide inside my house. When I had to go to my nearby grandpa's house, I would run fast with my ears tightly closed. My only interest was the harmless sparklers which my dad used to buy a bunch of boxes, especially for me. My little brother had all the crackers in his control with no competition from...